ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. game — a match
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. cell — in biology
  9. march — music
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. board — to get on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. can — to be able to
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — a tin
  21. board — a committee
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com